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A good saline solution, nothing you can't get elsewhere though!

I have my contact lenses and solutions delivered once every three months but for some reason this time around the solution ran out quicker than it should have done, probably because I've been rinsing my lenses a lot more often due to hayfever season sneaking up on me and causing some dry eye issues. Knowing my next delivery was due any time now I didn't intend to spend a huge amount on solution so decided to opt for a simple bottle of saline for storing, and keep the last few drops of my actual solution for cleaning then at night.

The only reason I bought this one from Superdrug is because I was in there anyway doing a bit of shopping, saline is saline as far as I know so really I could have bought the same product just with a different label from anywhere. It comes in a 360ml round plastic bottle and was priced at £1.69 on the 'reduced' shelf, checking on the website the full price is £3.69 which I think is pretty expensive for such a basic product.

You squeeze the bottle just like any other contact lens solution and it will trickle or spray out of the hole in the top, there's no smell to it other than a general 'clean' smell and when I rub a little between my fingertips it feels a lot like plain water (albeit with a bit more of a silky feel). I use it as I do my usual contact lens solution; a few drops to clean them before filling up the wells in my storage case and popping my lenses in. The saline solution is fine for this minor task, as I'd expect it to be, and as I was planning on using it for such a short period of time (three days in total) I wasn't concerned that it didn't have all the helpful additives of an all-in-one solution. Obviously it's designed for rinsing the lenses not cleaning, but as I've mentioned already I already had a small amount of cleaning solution for this - on the last day this ran out and I ended up having to give my lenses a little rub with the saline, I noticed a little grittiness the next morning so assume it hadn't cleaned them as well as actual contact lens cleaning solution but this isn't marketed as a cleaner so I can't hold that against them!

Now I've got my 'proper' solution again I thought I might as well use up what's left in this bottle so have continued to use it for rinsing and occasionally storing when I remember to switch bottles. It's not the best for removing pollen (or whatever it is that makes my eyes itch during the day) from my lenses and when I reinsert my lenses my eyes still feel irritated, but after cleaning I find the saline solution is absolutely fine to rinse off the cleaning solution I've used. Likewise after my lenses have spent the night soaking in the saline my eyes feel fine once I've inserted them, there's no difference really to the feel of my lenses whether they've soaked in this basic stuff or my branded contact lens solution.

Obviously this is available only from Superdrug, either instore or as part of your online shop. It's been good for me, but frankly you can buy the exact same thing from many other stores (I know for a fact that Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Boots sell their own brand of contact lens safe saline solution) so I would look for the cheapest or just buy it from wherever you are as there really can't be all that much difference between the brands.

(I apologise for the absurd amount of times I've used the word 'solution' in this review, the consolation should be that it's irritated me having to write it so many times just as much as it's probably irritated you reading the word)

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A handy addition to any medicine cupboard

I purchased a bottle of Superdrug Saline Solution when I recently had an eye infection and the doctor had advised me to bathe my eye twice a day with saline.

Previously, I have always made saline myself by boiling the kettle, letting it cool and then adding salt to the water. I was never 100% sure that my home concoction was completely sterile and it was quite time consuming to do. Thanks to Superdrug however, I no longer need to do this. This product comes ready to use straight from the bottle. Just squeeze onto a cotton wool ball and bathe away. It is very convenient and is well worth the money for the price. I also feel happier knowing that the product is completely sterile and safe to use.

This product would also be ideal for cleaning cuts, grazes or bites and I will be making sure that I always have a bottle of this in my medicine cupboard now as you just never know when it will come in handy.

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One I would recommend

SUPERDRUG SALINE SOLUTION

When it comes to saline solution I find them all the same. I've used numerous brands over the years and have yet to find a bad one. This means that my decision when it comes to buying solution is based on a) cost and b) bottle size.

Superdrugs own brand comes in 2 sizes, a 360ml which the best deal available is 2 for £4.99. and 100ml for £1.99. Price Comparison - when bought on the 2 for £4.00 offer this solution costs around £2.50 for a 360ml bottle in comparison with:

I normally get my large bottle of solution in a supermarket as it is a little cheaper and more convenient as Superdrug isn't nearby. It is tricky to pick up the 100ml bottle though so I use superdrug for my travel sized bottles. The larger bottle is much better value than the travel sized but it's better than paying £40 for suitcase to put a large one in for a short break.

The PackagingThe 100ml is a white bottle with a seal around the lid that screws off. It has a very dark blue label on the front and back. The front label states that it is saline solution, rinses and is for all types of contact lenses.The back label states its uses, ingredients, warns not to use with chlorine disinfecting tablets and to dispose of within 5 months of opening, the Boots solution needs to be disposed of after 2 months so if you don't use this solution often as I don't this is a factor to consider.

The uses of saline solution

This solution states it is used for:-Rinsing lenses after cleaning and disinfecting-Dissolving protein removal tablets-Daily lens case cleaning-Heat disinfection of soft lenses-Inserting your contact lenses

A nurse once told me that this is suitable for cleaning out wounds too but I haven't tried it!

My opinionThis solution is good, it pours out in drops so is easy to control how much solution comes out of the bottle. It rinses lenses and my lens case well and I found it no better or worse than other solution. Where this solution is a real winner is the two different sizes. I find it very difficult to find a travel size bottle elsewhere so for this reason I will definitely continue to buy this solution.

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Decent contact lens solution for travel purposes

There are nearly as many different types of contact lens solution as there are different types of contact lens case, it seems! each to their own, as I say, and this product seems to have as many fans as it does disgruntled purchasers. As ever, I'm fence sitting, and having used this can see the merits and disadvantages of such a product.

Firstly, the practical - it does the basics of what it needs to. The concept of the saline solution is to keep your contact lenses in their intended state and add a small element of cleaning to the process as well. Even as basic a product as Superdrug's own brand saline solution for contact lenses manages to do this. This is the first tick. The second comes in the practicality of the bottle and how easy it is to use. The 100ml size makes it ideal for anyone wishing to fly, the size of the bottle's contents fitting with the regulations governing how big a container can be in your carry on luggage. The screw thread top on the bottle works simply, no frills but it does what it should, and the squeezy nature of the bottle allows for the right dispensing power when you squeeze, the nozzle squirting it out in a controlled fashion. There's an element of dribble involved, perhaps moreso than other bottles, but nothing to worry about. The bottle should last a week or so assuming each lens goes in and comes out once per day.

The negatives are actually relatively few. The main one may be the price - at £1.99 for such a small amount as 100ml, it does weigh in at noticeably more than other similar brands when you look at larger bottles. This seems to me like an attempt to rake in a few pennies for the convenience of a travel size bottle. Nor does it compare well when you look at specialist brands in terms of quality of solution. The basics are covered well, as I have mentioned, but when it comes to removing the small amounts of dirt that can build up on lenses, you have to work harder and use a bit more solution for a proper clean, relegating this solution in my eyes to one solely for the basics of having the lenses sit in a solution and by this process having a small element of cleaning. Nothing more for your money.

It's up to you whether or not these things that I have mentioned matter. I find that having a small bottle such as this for travelling away for a weekend is perfect - I know I'm not going to use a lot so it helps to keep size of luggage down, and I'm not away for long enough to worry about needing to deep clean them, so this doesn't even factor in. The bottle design is decent enough, and so for these purposes it works. The price is negligible if you're using it in small doses like this. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for prolonged use, as it's neither cost effective nor is it the best solution to use. You'd be much better off going with a Bausch & Lomb or Dailies or Focus, one of the named brands, rather than an own brand, for such long use. Products such as this are probably intended for the smaller and shorter amount of use, for practicality purposes, and this is how you should use them, as it works here.

Recommended for its intended purpose, but not for further needs.

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Great value contact lens fluid.

Over the years I have used many different brands of contact lens solutions and salines with the various types of lenses I have tried. One thing I have learned is that the big brands are often not that easy to differentiate from the supermarket and drugstore own brands in terms of quality and because of this I usually try to cut costs by buying as cheap as possible from Boots or Superdrug (or even Asda!).

I particularly like this Superdrug bottle because it is only 100ml and therefore small enough to take through an airport in hand luggage, this is especially useful if you want to be able to wear your lenses whilst travelling, which for short haul flights I quite often do. In Boots they do sell specific small saline bottles as ''travel size" and they cost around £4 - this one, however, is only £1.99 so represents quite a good saving.

I use this for rinsing and lubricating lenses prior to putting them in, this is not for storing (for which you need a specific storing or all in one liquid) but it can do pretty much everything else. As I currently use daily disposables I use this as a bit of extra fluid when inserting as there is only a very small amount in each small pod which the lenses come in.

This is a great product in a very handy size which does exactly what it says on the tin, no quibbles or issues and very good value for money.

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ideal size for hand luggage

I buy sterile saline solution all the time to use with my contact lenses, it's a pretty indispensible item if you wear contact lenses, it has loads of different uses, and it's something I definitely wouldn't be without.

I normally buy the Boots own brand sterile saline, but the only problem with this is that it comes in a large 360ml bottle, which is obviously way bigger than the allowed 100ml limit on hand luggage liquids for airline travel. Enter this perfectly sized bottle of saline from Superdrug, it comes in a 100ml bottle, and costs £1.99. It does work out much more expensive than my regular saline that I buy from Boots, however the fact that I can take the bottle as hand luggage on a short trip is worth its weight in gold to me. They are currently on offer at the moment though, two for £2.99, so I've stocked up on a couple. I find that the 100ml bottle will very easily last me a week, and it will certainly last for 10 days, and I've even had up to two weeks out of it as well. The saline comes in a plastic squeezy bottle, you just remove the lid and squeeze the bottle to dispense the saline; a gentle squeeze will dispense a small amount of saline and a hard squeeze will dispense a steady jet of saline.

I use this saline primarily with my daily disposable contact lenses as I only take my daily disposable lenses on holiday with me as I much prefer the convenience factor of these i.e. wear a pair for a day and then throw them away at night, no cleaning or hassle to deal with. I also like that this then cuts down one bottle - my contact lens cleaning solution, this is especially important if I've got hand luggage only.

I will use the saline to fill my contact lens case to store my lenses in if I'm just taking them out for a couple of hours, and then will want to pop them back in later. I know that in theory I should then use a new pair of the daily lenses, but I do feel that this is a waste, as I've probably only had them in for say five or six hours and then will only be putting them back in for another five or six hours, so in theory a days worth of wear.

On long days I will actually take my contact lens case out with me in my handbag, just in case anything unforseen happens and I do need to remove my contact lenses. I will fill my lens case with saline beforehand so that I've got something to put my lenses into, this then means that I can pop them back in later if I want to or need to.

I always rinse my contact lens case after each use with saline, and I then leave it to air dry. I'm not a fan of using tap water to rinse my case as there's all sorts of nasty bacteria in tap water and I don't want that anywhere near anything that I'm going to put in my eyes.

If I happen to drop a contact lens whilst handling it then I would give it a quick rinse with a squirt of saline. Also if my lenses were getting a little bit dry from handling (sometimes when I'm getting ready and half asleep in the mornings it can take a few goes to get each lens in!) then again I would give it a quick rinse with a squirt of saline to rehydrate the lens.

All brands of saline are pretty similar, and I've had no problems whatsoever with this Superdrug saline, it's really gentle and it doesn't sting or irritate my eyes in any way at all. I buy this fairly regularly, and I use it on the trip or weekend away, and then either save the remainder for my next trip, or just use it up at home on a day to day basis with my monthly disposable contact lenses.

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A saline solution made and sold by Superdrug for rinsing your contact lenses.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

Place your contact lens in the palm of your hand and clean with your usual solution. Rinse the lenses using this saline solution before filling your contact lens storage case with your usual soaking solution and storing the lenses as normal.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

It rinses my lenses thoroughly and leaves them free from cleaning solution. I often use it to moisten my finger before inserting my lenses as the saline solution will rinse away any dirt or soap residue as I always wash my hands before touching my lenses. I also use this saline solution to clean my lens cases, especially if it's one I haven't used for a while to remove any dust that might have accumulated.

There is no smell to this solution and the bottle is designed to only dispense a drop at a time as long as you are careful to be gentle as you squeeze it. It makes inserting my lenses more comfortable than if I just take them straight from the storage case because rinsing with the saline solution removes the soaking solution that can be quite harsh on sensitive eyes.

The saline solution only costs £1.99 for a 100ml bottle, or you can buy two bottles for £3.49. Most pharmacies will stock their own brand saline solution but I have only ever used this Superdrug one and think it's very useful for contact lens wearers.

5 Dooyoo Stars.

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A reasonably priced saline solution

I have been wearing contact lenses for several years now, I did try them when I was much younger but never got on with any of the cleaning solutions so reverted back to wearing glasses, however several years later I decided to give them a go again and was pleased to find that there was a lot more choice in contact lenses solution and there were actually ones to suit me. I get 6 months of lenses and solution in one go supplied by my opinions, however from time to time the solution does run out a bit quicker than it is supposed to so instead of having to keep going back to the opinions to get some more I decided to see what was available in the shops so that I could buy a couple of bottles to keep as spares in case they were needed. I discovered that Superdrug did their own version of Saline Solution, it was nothing fancy but did exactly the same things that my current solution does which is supplied at the opinions so I decided to give it a try.

PackagingThe Superdrug Saline Solution comes in a chunky white plastic bottle, this has a dark blue label wrapped around most of it. On the front of the label is the Superdrug logo which is a the outline of a small silver star with the words "Saline Solution" written just below this in white. The only other information on the front of the bottle is a short sentence which states that the product rinses and is suitable for all contact lens types. The rest of the label is taken up with a large picture of an eclipse of a moon. The back of the label is taken up with all of the relevant product information consisting of what to use it for, contradictions, Warnings and Precautions, this is all written in very small white writing, however it is clearly set out making it very easy to read and follow. The bottle has a large white plastic lid which screws on and off, this covers and protects the dropper where the solution is dispensed from, to release the solution you simply squeeze the sides of the bottle and the solution comes out of a small hole in the end of the dropper.

The SolutionThe Superdrug Saline Solution is basically a clear liquid which looks just like water, it has not smell to it whatsoever. This particular solution is said to be designed for all types of contact lenses, I personally wear soft lenses which I change once a month so I was confident that this was going to be suitable and not cause any damage to my lenses, also it was pretty much the same as what the optician supplies anyway.

UsesThe Superdurg Saline Solution has a variety of uses, these are all pretty standard for this type of contact solution, but can be found on the back of the bottle as it is always worth checking first before using it on your lenses. The uses for this particular solution include* Rinsing lenses after cleaning or disinfecting* Dissolving protein removal tablets* Daily lens case cleaning* Heat disinfection's of soft lenses* Inserting contact lensesPersonally I only really use mine for cleaning out my lens case, cleaning the lenses and wetting them when putting them in, however the solution does do a very good job of thisContradictionsThis is one of the headings on the back of the bottle, personally I would have thought that these would come under the warnings heading, however they do not and the contradictions consists of* Do not use if you are allergic to any of the ingredients* Do not use with chlorine disinfecting tablets.

PrecautionsThe list of precautions on the back of the bottle are there to advise you of what and what not to do when using this particular product on your contact lenses, these consist of * Wash and dry your hands before touching your lenses* Start with the same lens to avoid confusion* Once the bottle has been opened discard of any solution which is left after 3 months* Do not use after the expiry date* Consult your optician before changing solutions* Close bottle after use* Do not touch the end of the dropper onto any surface as this may cause contamination* Clean lens case regularlyAll of these precautions are pretty standard and to be honest I did all of these things before I even read the back of the bottle as they are the standard practises that your opinions teaches you when you first have contact lenses, however it is handy to have a list of dos and don'ts just in case you need to refer to them at any point.

WarningsAgain these are listed on the back of the bottle and are what I would call standard for this type of product. The warnings include * Consult your optician before using any eye medication with contact lenses* Saline solution alone is not enough to disinfect contact lenses* Never re-use solution always use fresh* Never use tap water with contact lenses* If irritation occurs consult your opticianThe warnings do not just seem to be about Superdrug Saline Solution, but more general contact lenses and caring for them.

Price and AvailabilityObviously this particular Saline Solution is only available in Superdrug as it is one of their branded products. The 360ml bottle costs £2.99 in my local Superdrug, I think they do a small bottle as well. I think that this product is reasonably priced, the 360ml bottle lasts me several weeks when I use it a couple of times a day. I would say that this is very good value for money.

My OpinionOverall I would definitely recommend the Superdrug Saline Solution, this product does an excellent job of keeping my contact lenses clean. I have been using this product for some time now and so far have had not problems at all with it causing irritation, the solution really is gentle, although it doesn't actually promise to be suitable for sensitive eyes. The solution is perfect for cleaning out my contact lens cases as well as keeping the lenses themselves clean. Personally I feel that Sueprdrugs Saline Solution is an excellent price and in my opinion good value for money. I will definitely continue to purchase this product and would recommend it to anyone looking for this sort of product.